As you’re completing your PADI Open Water Diving course, you might feel you’ve reached the pinnacle of your diving instruction. However, those who’ve already finished the introductory course inherently know there’s much more to learn about diving. That’s where specialty courses such as the Peak Performance Buoyancy course come into play. If you’re wondering why take a Peak Performance Buoyancy course, we’ve put together this list of six reasons.
Hone an Essential Underwater Skill
Buoyancy control is an essential skill when it comes to scuba diving. Being able to adjust your position in the water column and keep yourself stabilized prevents inadvertent contact with marine life, other divers, the ocean floor and other underwater structures. Incidental contact is one of the main causes of injury to both marine life and divers alike. The PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy course will hone your buoyancy control skills while making you a better diver and improving your diving experience.
Reduce Your Air Consumption
One of the major limitations to spending long periods underwater is air consumption. The faster you use up your air supply, the sooner you’ll have to get out of the water. The PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy course will help you master your buoyancy control device (BCD) and choose the correct weights for the excursion you’re embarking upon. When you get your buoyancy under your control you’ll use less air and be able to spend more time underwater.
Master Your BCD
The BCD is probably the most complicated piece of equipment in a scuba diver’s outfit. Mastering the BCD requires patience, practice and regular maintenance. Once properly managed it will allow controlled ascents and descents through the water column. Loss of control while diving is most often caused by improper use of the BCD. Taking a Peak Performance Buoyancy course will give you extra hands-on experience with the BCD and reduce the possibility of human error.
Protect The Marine Ecosystem
If you have poor buoyancy control you may find yourself bumping into marine life, inadvertently landing on the ocean floor or bumping into other divers. This is not only bad for the marine ecosystem, it’ll be bad for your diving experience. Bouncing off the seabed or bumping into underwater structures can disturb the silt and obscure your view. Mastering buoyancy control will help protect the marine ecosystem and provide you with a better diving experience.
Improve Your Diving Comfort
Grasping the finer aspects of buoyancy control will allow you to remain more comfortable underwater. Some beginning divers find themselves struggling to remain horizontal and soon tire themselves out. A Peak Performance Buoyancy course will help you remain calm and relaxed while diving and make sustaining a horizontal position a much more natural process.
Prevent Middle Ear Injuries
The most frequent injury to afflict scuba divers is middle ear barotrauma. This is a type of ear damage caused by differences in pressure between the middle and outer ear. Problems with buoyancy are often a leading factor in this type of injury. To prevent this from happening, if ear discomfort is experienced divers are instructed to pause their descent or ascent and allow equalization to occur Without proper buoyancy control this can be difficult, if not impossible. A Peak Performance Buoyancy course can improve a diver’s control issues and reduce the chances of middle ear injuries.
